In recent years, healthcare service providers have been making the transition from manual paper-based medical records to an electronic format. Commercially available computer software, such as PowerChart®, PowerChart Office®, and other Cerner Millennium® applications marketed by Cerner Corporation of Kansas City, Mo. have advanced the state of the art well beyond the conventional manual approach. Electronic-based records substantially increase the efficiency of healthcare providers and institutions. Electronic medical records also substantially reduce risks associated with high volumes of patient data and potential liabilities arising out of clerical errors or misinformation. The electronic format enhances communication between various providers and within institutions. As electronic clinical documentation continues to become increasingly prevalent, the variety of applications, electronic forms, electronic charts, and user interfaces, as well as the corresponding versatility of this format, continue to expand.
Many actions performed in various workflows for a particular department or area in a healthcare facility directly impact other workflows and need to be communicated to other teams and providers. Typically, this is addressed through alerts via text messaging, email, or direct manual communication. Unfortunately, these alerts are often overlooked because they are not embedded into the application utilized by each department of the healthcare facility. In many cases, such embedding is not even possible because different solutions, offerings, and systems are used by each department. Thus, there is no integration or adequate real-time communication between departments and direct impact of the display of a particular application based on a rule or trigger by another cannot be achieved.